Number  Ten. 


SEED    TIME 


AND 


HARVEST. 


FOUNDED   ON   FACT. 


Ninth  Edition. 


iioston: 

PUBLISHED   BY  WHIFFLE  AND  DAMRELL, 

No.  9  Cornhttl. 

NEW  YORK  :  -  SCOFIELD  AND  VOORHIES, 
No.  118  Nassau  Street. 

1838. 


TO  THE   READER. 

IN  this  last  number  -of  the  second  volume  of  our 
Temperance  Tales,  we  offer  you  a  short  and  simple 
narrative,  which  produced  a  very  deep  and  lasting  im 
pression  upon  a  group  of  three  or  four  of  us,  as  it  was 
related,  certainly  in  the  most  natural  and  touching 
manner,  by  the  son  of  a  drunken  father.  We  have 
added  paragraph  to  paragraph,  with  a  growing  convic 
tion  of  our  utter  inability  to  imitate  the  voice  of 
nature. 

As  the  story  is  a  brief  one,  it  shall  not  be  disfigured 
by  a  tedious  preface.  If,  by  God's  blessing,  it  shall 
be  the  means  of  dispelling  wretchedness  from  some 
humble  dwelling, — if  it  shall  cause  a  single  drunkard 
to  reform,  and  bless  the  Lord,  who  giveth  SEED  TIME 
AND  HARVEST,  we  shall  never  regret  that  we  have  be 
stowed  our  labors  in  the  field. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1835,  by 

WILLIAM  8.  DAMRELL, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts 


SEED   TIME   AND   HARVEST. 


IT  must  be  nearly  midnight,  thought  1,  as 
I  walked  rapidly  along.  I  had  travelled  full 
fourteen  miles.  The  rain  descended  in  tor 
rents;  and,  finding  ready  admittance,  at  a 
farmer's  barn,  I  climbed  upon  a  hay-mow, 
and  threw  myself  down,  thoroughly  wet, 
weary,  and  sleepless. — What  an  awful  visitor 
it  is,  thought  I,  at  the  poor  cottager's  fire 
side  !  How  forcible  and  true  are  the  words 
of  Holy  Writ !  If  wine  be  "  a  mocker,"  in 
the  castles  of  the  rich, — among  the  habita 
tions  of  the  poor,  "  strong  drink  is  raging." — 
There  was  I,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  turning  my 
back  upon  my  birth-place,  upon  my  home, 
upon  a  mother  and  sister,  whom  I  tenderly 
loved. — As  the  recollection  of  all  they  had 
endured  already,  and  the  anticipation  of  their 


4  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  234 

future  sufferings  rushed  upon  my  mind,  I 
had  almost  resolved  to  return:  but,  alas! 
what  could  I  oppose  to  the  ungovernable  fury 
of  an  unkind  husband  and  an  apostate  father ! 
No,  thought  I,  I  will  fly  from  that,  which  I 
can  neither  prevent  nor  endure.  I  will  seek 
my  bread  among  strangers.  By  the  kind 
providence  of  Him,  who  hath  promised  to  be 
the  Father  of  the  fatherless,  and  such,  in  real 
ity,  I  am,  I  may  win,  by  honest  industry,  the 
means  of  bringing  comfort  to  her,  who  bore 
me,  when  my  father's  intemperance  and  prod 
igality  shall  have  made  havoc  of  all  that  re 
mains  ;  and  when  the  last  acre  of  the  home 
stead  shall  have  passed  into  the  rum-seller's 
hands.  My  resolution  was  fixed.  Sleep  was 
gathering  over  my  eyelids.  I  got  upon  my 
knees  to  commit  myself  to  God  in  prayer. 
I  could  scarcely  give  form  to  my  scattered 
thoughts; — it  seemed,  under  the  condition 
of  high  excitement,  in  which  I  then  was,  that 
my  father  was  before  me,  enraged  at  my  de 
parture,  and  demanding  who  had  taught  me 
to  pray.  It  was  he  himself,  who  first  set  me 


235  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  5 

upon  my  knees,  and  placed  my  infant  hands 
together,  and  put  right  words  into  my  mouth, 
and  bade  me  ask  of  God  to  put  right  thoughts 
into  my  heart.  How  often  had  he  led  his 
little  household  in  morning  and  evening  pray 
er!  How  often,  as  we  walked  to  God's 
house,  in  company  together,  had  he  led  the 
way  !  How  constantly,  m  our  daily  labors, 
had  he  conducted  our  thoughts  to  serious  con 
templation,  by  some  sensible  and  devout  al 
lusion  to  those  employments,  in  which  we 
were  engaged !  Lost  and  gone,  degraded 
and  changed  he  was ;  but  he  had  been  once 
a  kind  father,  a  tender  husband,  a  generous 
neighbor,  a  faithful  friend,  a  pious  and  a  pro 
fessing  Christian. 

Rum  and  ruin,  hand  in  hand,  had  entered 
our  dwelling  together.  The  peace  of  our  fire 
side  was  gone.  The  rurn-seller  had  laid  my 
poor,  misguided  father,  under  the  bonds  of 
an  unrelenting  and  fatal  appetite ;  he  had  won 
away  the  little  children's  bread ;  and  convert 
ed  our  once-happy  home  into  an  earthly  hell, 
whose  only  portal  of  exit  was  the  silent  grave. 


6  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  236 

it  was  very  evident  to  me,  that  we  were 
going  to  destruction.  My  father's  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  us  all  was  at  an  end.  Debts 
were  accumulating  fast.  His  farm  was  heav 
ily  mortgaged.  His  habits,  long  before,  had 
compelled  the  church  to  exclude  him  from 
the  communion ;  and  the  severest  abuse  was 
the  certain  consequence,  whenever  my  poor, 
old  mother  went  singly  to  the  table  of  her 
Lord.  I  could  have  borne  my  father's  harsh 
treatment  of  myself  and  of  my  poor  sister 
Rachel ;  but  he  returned  home,  at  last,  con 
stantly  intoxicated;  and,  when  opposed  in  any 
thing,  proceeded  to  swear,  and  rave,  and 
break  the  furniture,  and  abuse  my  old  mother, 
who  bore  it  all,  with  the  patience  of  a  saint ; 
— I  made  up  my  mind,  that  I  could  stand  it 
no  longer. 

I  waited  cautiously,  for  a  favorable  oppor 
tunity,  and  asked  my  father's  permission  to 
go  to  sea.  He  flew  into  a  terrible  rage. 
The  next  morning  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  bet 
ter  frame  of  mind,  and,  as  I  was  chopping 
wood  before  the  door,  he  asked  me,  of  his 


237  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  7 

own  accord,  what  had  induced  me  to  wish  to 
leave  home,  and  go  to  sea.  I  hesitated,  for 
some  time ;  but,  as  he  urged  me  to  speak 
out,  and;  at  the  same  time,  appeared  to  be 
much  calmer  than  usual ; — "  Father,"  said  I. 
"  it  kills  me  to  see  you  and  hear  you  talk  and 
act  so  badly  to  poor  mother." — He  flew  into 
a  greater  rage  than  before,  and  bade  me  nev 
er  open  my  mouth  upon  the  subject  again. 

Thus  matters  continued  to  progress  from 
bad  to  worse.  Love  is  said  not  to  stand  still. 
This  saying  is  manifestly  true  in  regard  to 
the  love  of  strong  drink. 

Our  domestic  misery  continued  to  increase, 
from  week  to  week.  There  were  intervals, 
in  which,  my  father  was  more  like  himself, 
more  like  the  good,  kind  parent  and  husband, 
whose  outgoings,  in  the  morning,  had  been  a 
source  of  affectionate  regret,  and  whose  in 
comings,  at  night,  had  been  a  subject  of  joy 
to  the  wife  of  his  bosom  and  the  children  of 
his  loins.  I  have  seen  the  faint  smile  of  sat 
isfaction  brighten  upon  my  poor  mother's 
pale  features,  upon  such  occasions;  and  I 


8  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  238 

have  marked  the  sigh,  half  suppressed,  which 
told .,  the  secret  of  an  agonized  spirit,  and 
which  seemed  to  say,  How  precious,  how 
brief  is  this  little  interval  of  joy  ! 

It  was  indeed  like  the  parting  sunbeam, 
the  last,  lingering  light  of  a  summer  day, 
which  plays  upon  the  cold  grave,  where  the 
treasure  and  the  heart  are  destined  to  slum 
ber  together. 

In  such  an  example  of  domestic  wretched 
ness  as  ours,  the  operation  of  cause  and  ef 
fect  was  perfectly  intelligible.  Rum  excited 
into  action  all  that  was  contentious,  in  the 
nature  of  my  parent.  A  keen  perception  of 
his  own  blameworthiness,  notwithstanding  the 
stupefying  tendency  of  the  liquor  he  had 
drunken,  increased  the  irritability  of  his  tem 
per.  A  word,  look,  or  gesture,  from  any 
member  of  the  household,  which  indicated 
the  slightest  knowledge  of  his  unhappy  con 
dition,  when  he  returned,  at  night,  under  the 
influence  of  strong  drink,  was  surely  inter 
preted  into  an  intentional  affront.  He  would 
often  anticipate  reproof;  and,  as  it  were,  re- 


239  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  9 

pay  it  beforehand,  by  the  harshness  of  his 
manners. 

The  habit  of  drinking,  which  is  invariably 
the  prolific  mother  of  sin  and  sloth,  wretch 
edness  and  rags,  is  sure  to  be  maintained  and 
kept  alive,  by  the  beggarly  progeny,  to  which 
it  has  given  birth.  Whenever  my  unhappy 
father  was  dunned  for  the  interest  on  his 
mortgage,  or  any  other  debt,  which,  at  last, 
he  had  no  means  to  pay,  he  was  in  the  hab 
it,  almost  mechanically,  as  soon  as  the  cred 
itor  had  departed,  of  turning  to  the  jug  of 
rum,  for  relief  and  oblivion. 

The  gloom  and  ill-nature,  which  had  hith 
erto  been  occasionally  interspersed  with  ex 
hibitions  of  kindlier  feelings  to  us  all,  ap 
peared  to  have  become  unvarying  and  fixed. 
There  was  less  and  less,  from  week  to  week, 
of  an  April  sky.  All  was  chill  and  drear, 
like  November.  One  evening,  my  mother 
and  sister  had  been  busily  engaged,  as  usual, 
in  such  housewifery,  as  might  best  contribute 
to  keep  our  poor  wreck  of  a  domicil  together, 
as  long  as  possible.  I  had  learned  to  write  a 


10  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  240 

fair  hand,  and  was  engaged  in  copying  some 
papers,  for  our  squire,  who  paid  me,  by  the 
sheet .  It  had  gotten  to  be  nearly  ten  o'clock,. 
My  mother  put  on  her  spectacles,  and,  open 
ing  the  Bible,  began  to  read.  Rachel  and  I 
sat  by  the  fire,  listening  to  the  words  of  truth 
and  soberness.  My  poor  mother  had  fallen 
upon  a  portion  of  Scripture,  which,  from  its 
applicability  to  her  own  situation  and  that  of 
her  children,  had  affected  her  feelings,  and 
the  tears  were  in  her  eyes,  when  the  loud 
tramp  upon  the  door  step  announced  the  re 
turn  of  my  father.  His  whole  appearance 
was  unusually  ominous  of  evil.  My  mother 
stirred  the  fire,  and  I  placed  him  a  chair, 
which  he  kicked  over,  and  threw  himself 
down  upon  the  bed,  and  called  for  supper. 
Mother  told  him,  in  a  gentle  manner,  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  house  but  some 
bread.  He  told  her  she  lied,  and  swore  ter 
ribly.  She  sat  silently  by  the  fire ; — I  look 
ed  up  in  her  face  : — She  wept,  but  said  noth 
ing.  "  Don't  cry  so,  dear  mother,"  said 
Rachel.  —  "Wife,"  said  my  father,  sitting 


241  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  11 

upon  the  edge  of  the  bed,  "when  will  you 
leave  off  crying  ? " — "  Whenever  you  leave 
off  drinking,  husband/'  replied  my  mother  in 
the  kindest  manner.  My  father  sprang  up, 
in  a  hurricane  of  wrath,  and  with  a  dreadful 
oath,  hurled  a  chair,  at  my  mother's  head. 
I  sprang  forward,  and  received  its  full  force 
upon  my  shoulder.  Rachel  and  my  mother 
fled  to  a  neighbor's  house,  and  my  father 
struck  me  several  blows  with  his  feet  and 
fists ;  and,  as  1  made  my  escape,  I  left  him 
dashing  the  furniture  to  pieces,  with  the  fury 
of  a  madman. — I  rushed  forth  to  seek  shelter 
amid  the  driving  storm — from  the  tempest  of 
a  drunken  father's  wrath.  I  went,  as  speedi 
ly  as  possible,  to  the  squire's  house,  and  beg 
ged  him  to  take  compassion  on  my  poor 
mother  and  sister.  Having  received  his  prom 
ise,  that  he  would  go  instantly  over  to  our 
cottage,  I  took  the  resolution,  which  I  have 
already  stated. 

After  I  had  passed  a  comfortless  night,  in 
the  farmer's  barn,  I  pushed  forward  to  the 
city.  I  had  a  trifle  of  change  in  my  pocket ; 


12  SEED   TIME    AND    HARVEST.  242 

I  bought  a  biscuit  of  a  travelling  baker,  and  I 
had  no  relish  for  any  other  than  the  beverage 
of  God's  appointment,  which  was  near  at 
hand.  When  I  reached  the  city,  I  directed 
my  course  to  one  of  the  wharves,  and  found 
no  difficulty,  as  I  was  unusually  stout  for  my 
years,  in  obtaining  a  voyage,  as  a  green  hand, 
in  a  ship  bound  to  China.  Three  days 
passed,  before  the  ship  sailed.  I  wrote  to 
my  mother  and  sister,  bidding  them  keep  up 
their  spirits,  and  put  their  trust,  as  I  did,  in 
the  God  of  the  widow  and  the  fatherless,  for 
such,  and  even  worse,  was  our  condition.  I 
asked  them  to  say  to  father,  when  he  was 
sober,  that,  although  I  scarcely  expected  to 
see  him  again  in  this  world,  I  freely  forgave 
all  his  ill-treatment  to  myself. 

I  worked  hard  and  strove  to  please  the 
captain.  I  soon  found  that  ploughing  the 
sea  was  a  very  different  affair  from  ploughing 
the  land.  I  had  a  good  constitution,  and  a 
cheerful  temper.  I  had  been  taught,  at  all 
times,  by  my  dear  mother,  and  by  my  poor, 
unhappy  father  also,  till  he  became  intern- 


243  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  13 

perate,  to  put  the  fullest  confidence  in  the 
promises  of  God.  When  we  arrived  in  Chi 
na,  though  we  had  shipped  out  and  home, 
the  voyage  was  broken  up,  and  the  ship  sold. 
The  captain  settled  with  the  crew  to  their 
entire  satisfaction ;  and  I  shall  always  be 
grateful  for  his  kindness  to  me.  He  got  me 
a  voyage  to  England.  I  laid  out  my  wages, 
by  his  advice.  I  could  not  have  followed  a 
shrewder  counsellor.  He  was  born  and  bred, 
so  far  as  regards  his  land  learning,  in  one  of 
the  most  thrifty  villages  in  Connecticut.  We 
had  a  most  boisterous  voyage  from  Canton  to 
Liverpool ;  but,  whenever  I  pulled  a  rope,  1 
always  pulled  a  little  harder  for  the  sake  of 
my  old  mother  and  sister  Rachel.  —  I  had 
<  saved  every  penny  of  my  wages,  that  I  could 
lay  by,  and  my  little  investment  in  Canton 
turned  out  far  beyond  my  expectations.  I 
do  not  think  I  was  avaricious ;  but  I  felt  it 
to  be  my  duty,  under  existing  circumstances, 
to  save  my  earnings  for  my  honored  mother. 
Nevertheless,  I  felt  myself  authorized  to  in 
dulge  in  one  luxury  at  least ;  so,  upon  my 


14  SEED   TIME    AND   HARVEST.  244 

arrival   in  Liverpool,  I  went  into  the  first 
bookstore  and  bought  me  a  pocket  Bible. 

Five  years  had  now  gone  by,  in  which  I 
had  sailed  many  thousands  of  miles,  and  vis 
ited  various  corners  of  the  world.  During 
this  period,  I  had  gotten  together  a  larger 
sum  of  money,  than  I  ever  expected  to  pos 
sess  at  twenty-one;  besides  having  made 
several  remittances  to  the  squire,  for  my  old 
mother's  use,  to  whom  I  wrote  upon  every 
convenient  opportunity.  They  all  came  to 
hand,  as  I  afterward  learned,  saving  one,  in 
gold,  which  went  to  bottom,  with  poor  Tom 
Johnson,  who  was  lost  at  sea.  If  I  was  for 
tunate  enough  to  save  my  hard  earnings, 
just  let  me  say,  for  the  advantage  of  every 
brother  sailor,  that  there  are  four  things, 
which  I  never  did ;  I  never  suffered  a  drop 
of  grog  to  go  down  my  hatches,  blow  high  or 
blow  low;  1  never  rolled  a  stinking  weed, 
like  a  sweet  morsel,  under  my  tongue ;  I 
never  crossed  hands  with  a  drunken  landlord ; 
and  I  never  bore  away  from  a  poor  fellow, 
whose  hammock  was  harder  than  my  own. 


245  SEED    1IME    AND    HARVEST.  15 

My  five  years'  absence  from  home  might 
have  extended  to  fifty,  but  for  many  recol 
lections  of  my  mother  and  sister,  which  be 
came  more  forcible,  from  day  to  day.  My 
remembrance  of  my  father  was  of  the  most 
painful  character:  the  very  recollection  of 
his  tenderness,  in  the  days  of  my  childhood, 
which  often  brought  tears  into  my  eyes, 
served  only  to  render  the  image  of  a  cruel 
and  degraded  parent  more  frightful  and  re 
volting. 

I  had  shipped,  about  this  time,  on  board 
the  Swiftsure,  from  London  to  Oporto.  One 
afternoon,  two  or  three  of  us,  a  day  or  two 
before  the  ship  sailed,  had  strolled  over  to 
the  south  side  of  the  Thames,  to  look  at  the 
king's  dockyards  at  Deptford.  As  I  was 
rambling  among  the  docks,  I  received  a  smart 
slap  on  the  shoulder,  and,  turning  suddenly 
round,  whom  should  I  see  but  old  Tom 
Johnson,  an  honest  fellow  as  ever  broke  bread 
or  wore  a  tarpaulin  !  He  was  born  in  our 
village  ;  had  followed  the  sea  for  nearly  forty 
years ;  and,  once  in  the  course  of  three  or 


16  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  246 

four,  he  contrived  to  find  his  way  to  the  old 
spot,  and  spend  a  few  days  in  the  valley 
where  he  was  born. — "  Why,  Bob,"  said  he, 
"  Pm  heartily  glad  to  see  you,  my  lad ;  so 
you've  taken  leg  bail  of  the  old  folks,  and 
turned  rover,  in  good  earnest,  ey  ? " — I  told 
him,  I  hoped  he  didn't  think  I'd  left  my  old 
mother  to  shirk  for  herself,  in  her  old  age. — 
"  Not  a  jot,"  replied  the  old  sailor  ;  "  Squire 
Seely  has  told  me  the  whole  story,  and  says 
he  has  put  the  sweat  of  your  brow,  more 
than  once  or  twice  either,  into  the  old  lady's 
hand,  and  made  her  old  weather-beaten 
heart  leap  for  joy,  to  hear  you  was  so  thought 
ful  a  lad.  I  saw  your  mother  about  a  year 
ago,  and  your  sister  Rachel." — I  shook  old 
Tom  Johnson,  by  the  hand  ;  I  could  not  re 
strain  my  feelings,  for  this  was  the  first  news 
I  had  received  from  home,  for  more  than  five 
years. — "  Come,  Bob,"  said  the  old  fellow, 
"  don't  be  for  opening  your  scuppers  and 
making  crooked  faces ;  though  it  blows  hard 
enough  now,  it  may  get  to  be  calm  weather 
after  all." — "  How  is  my  father  doing  now  ? " 


247       SEED  TIME  AND  HARVEST.        17 

I  inquired. — "Why,  as  to  that,"  answered 
Tom  Johnson,  "it's  about  a  twelvemonth 
since  I  was  there.  I  told  the  old  lady  I 
might  cross  your  hawse  in  some  part  of  the 
world.  She  has  a  rough  time  of  it,  my  boy. 
The  old  man  holds  on  to  mischief,  like  a 
heavy  kedge  in  a  clay  bottom.  The  cold- 
water  folks  began,  about  a  year  ago,  to  scat 
ter  their  seed  in  the  village,  in  the  shape  of 
tracts,  and  tales,  and  newspapers.  Some  of 
them  were  thrown  at  your  father's  door,  and 
at  the  door  of  old  Deacon  Flint,  the  distiller. 
There,  as  you  may  suppose,  the  seed  fell  in 
stony  places.  Your  father  was  in  a  great 
rage,  and  swore  he'd  shoot  the  first  person, 
that  left  another  of  their  rascally  publications 
before  his  door.  I'm  afraid  it  will  be  a  long 
while,  my  lad,  before  the  temperance  folks 
get  the  weather  gage  of  the  rum-sellers,  and 
rum-drinkers  in  our  village.  They  have  had 
a  miserable  seed  time,  and  the  Devil  and 
Deacon  Flint,  I  am  afraid,  will  have  the  best 
of  the  harvest." 
As  Tom,  Johnson  was  to  sail,  in  about  a 


18  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  248 

week,  for  the  United  States,  I  sent  by  him  a 
few  lines  of  comfort  and  a  small  remittance 
for  my  mother.  As  I  have  already  stated, 
they  never  reached  the  place  of  their  desti 
nation.  The  Oranoke,  of  which  this  poor 
fellow  was  first  mate,  foundered  at  sea,  and 
the  whole  crew  perished. 

After  our  arrival  at  Oporto,  the  crew  of 
the  Swiftsure  were  discharged ;  and,  finding  a 
favorable  chance,  I  shipped  for  Philadelphia, 
where  we  arrived,  after  an  extremely  short 
and  prosperous  passage.  —  I  directed  my 
course,  once  more,  towards  my  native  hamlet. 
My  feelings  were  of  the  most  painful  and 
perplexing  character.  In  accumulated  years, 
and  even  in  the  little  property,  which  I  had 
gathered,  I  felt  conscious  of  something  like  a 
power  and  influence;  which,  by  God's  grace, 
I  hoped  to  exert  for  the  protection  of  my 
mother.  Yet,  when  I  recollected  the  ungov 
ernable  violence  of  my  father's  temper,  under 
the  stimulus  of  liquor,  I  almost  despaired  of 
success.  At  any  rate,  I  could  behold  the 


249  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  19 

face  of  her,  who  bore  me,  and  receive  her 
blessing  once  more  before  she  died. 

Having  sent  my  luggage  forward,  I  per 
formed  a  considerable  part  of  my  journey  on 
foot.  I  had  arrived  in  the  village,  adjoining 
our  own.  I  paused,  for  an  instant,  to  look  at 
the  barn,  in  which,  five  years  before,  I  had 
passed  a  most  miserable  night.  It  brought 
before  me,  with  a  painful  precision,  the  mel 
ancholy  record  of  the  past.  Every  mile  of 
my  lessening  way  abated  something  of  that 
confidence,  which  I  had  occasionally  cher 
ished,  of  being  the  instrument,  under  God, 
of  bringing  happiness  again  into  the  dwelling 
of  my  wretched  parents. 

I  had  arrived  within  two  miles  of  the  little 
river,  which  forms  one  of  the  boundary  lines 
of  our  village.  I  was  passing  a  little  groce 
ry,  or  tipplery,  and,  standing  at  the  door,  I 
recognized  the  very  individual,  who  formerly 
kept  the  grog-shop  in  our  town,  and  from 
whom  my  father  had  purchased  his  rum,  for 
many  years.  Although  it  was  already  gray 
twilight,  I  knew  him  immediately ;  and,  how- 


20  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  250 

ever  painful  to  approach  a  person,  in  whom 
I  could  not  fail  to  behold  the  destroyer  of 
my  father,  I  could  not  repress  my  earnest 
desire  to  learn  something  of  my  family.  1 
accosted  him,  and  he  remembered  me  at 
once.  His  manners  were  those  of  a  surly 
and  dissatisfied  man.  In  reply  to  my  inqui 
ries,  he  informed  rne,  that  my  parents  and 
my  sister  were  alive,  and  added,  with  a  sneer, 
that  my  father  had  set  up  for  a  cold-water 
man ;  "  but,"  continued  he,  with  a  forced  and 
spiteful  laugh,  "it  will  take  him  all  his  days, 
I  guess,  to  put  off  the  old  man :  they  that 
have  gotten  the  relish  of  rny  rum,  are  not  so 
very  apt  to  change  it  for  cold  water." — Upon 
further  inquiry,  I  ascertained,  that  there  had 
been  a  temperance  movement  in  our  village  ; 
and  that  the  seed,  as  poor  Tom  Johnson  said, 
had  been  scattered  there,  with  an  unsparing 
hand.  I  also  gathered  the  information  from 
this  rum-seller,  that  the  selectmen  had  refused 
to  approbate  any  applicant  for  a  license  to 
sell  ardent  spirit  in  our  village  ;  and  that  he, 
himself,  had  therefore  been  obliged  to  quit 


251  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  21 

his  old  stand,  and  take  the  new  one,  which 
he  now  occupied. 

I  turned  from  the  dram-seller's  door  and 
proceeded  on  my  way.  It  was  quite  dark  ; 
but  the  road  was  familiar  to  my  feet.  It 
afforded  me  unspeakable  pleasure  to  learn, 
that  my  mother  and  sister  were  alive  and 
well.  But  I  was  exceedingly  perplexed,  by 
the  rum-seller's  statement  in  relation  to  my 
father.  Can  it  be  possible,  thought  I,  that 
he  has  become  a  cold-water  man  ?  How  true 
is  the  rum-seller's  remark,  that  few,  who  have 
gotten  a  taste  of  his  rum,  are  apt  to  change 
it  for  cold  water!  For  more  than  twelve 
years,  my  father  had  been  an  intemperate 
man  ;  and,  even  if  he  had  abandoned  ardent 
spirit,  for  a  time,  how  little  reliance  could  be 
placed  upon  a  drunkard's  reformation  !  Be 
sides  Tom  Johnson  had  expressly  stated,  that 
my  father  had  been  exceedingly  hostile  to  the 
temperance  movement,  from  the  beginning. 

With  these  and  similar  reflections,  my 
mind  continued  to  be  occupied,  until  I  enter 
ed  our  village.  It  was  about  half  past  nine, 


22  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  252 

when  I  came  within  a  few  rods  of  the  old 
cottage.  A  light  was  still  gleaming  forth 
from  the  window.  1  drew  slowly  and  silent 
ly  near  to  the  door. — I  thought  I  heard  a 
voice.  I  listened  attentively.  —  It  was  my 
father's. — My  mother  appeared  not  to  reply  : 
sucn  was  her  constant  habit,  whenever,  under 
the  influence  of  liquor,  he  gave  a  loose  rein 
to  his  tongue,  and  indulged  in  unkind  and 
abusive  language. — I  drew  still  nearer — and, 
passing  softly  into  the  entry,  I  listened  more 
attentively,  at  the  inner  door.  —  Can  it  be 
possible !  thought  I.  —  He  was  engaged  in 
prayer !  in  fervent  and  pious  prayer  ! — He 
prayed,  with  a  trembling  voice,  for  the  res 
toration  of  an  absent  son! — There  was  a 
pause.  From  the  movement  within,  it  was 
evident  they  had  risen  from  their  knees. — I 
gently  raised  the  latch,  and  opened  the  door. 
— The  father,  the  mother,  the  brother,  the 
sister,  were  locked  in  the  arms  of  one  anoth 
er  ! — My  regenerated  old  father  fell  once  more 
upon  his  knees ;  we  all  followed  his  exam 
ple  ;  and  before  a  word  of  congratulation  had 


253  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  23 

passed  from  one  to  the  other,  he  poured  forth 
such  a  touching  strain  of  thanksgiving  and 
praise  to  the  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect 
gift,  for  my  safe  return,  as  would  have  melted 
the  heart  of  the  most  obdurate  offender.  It 
came  directly  from  the  heart  of  a  truly  peni 
tent  sinner,  and  it  went  straightway  to  the 
God  of  mercy. — I  gazed  upon  my  poor  old 
father.  It  seemed  like  the  moral  resurrec 
tion  of  one,  already  dead  and  buried,  in  his 
trespasses  and  sins. — I  glanced  rapidly  about 
me  :  all  was  peace,  all  was  order ;  where  all 
had  been  strife  and  confusion  before.  The 
rum-jug  no  longer  occupied  its  accustomed 
place  upon  the  table  : — the  expanded  volume 
of  eternal  life  was  there  in  its  stead ! 

I  gazed  with  inexpressible  joy,  upon  the 
happy  faces  about  me ;  my  father,  to  all 
outward  appearance,  such  as  he  had  been  in 
better  days,  sitting  in  silence,  and  evidently 
restraining  the  emotions  of  his  soul ;  poor 
Rachel  upon  my  knee,  her  features  bathed 
with  happy  tears ;  and  my  dear,  old  mother 
turning  her  countenance,  full  of  gratitude  and 


24  SEED    TIME    AND    HARVEST.  254 

love,  alternately  towards  Heaven  and  upon  a 
long  gono   child,   returned  at  last. 

Six  years  have  now  gone  by,  since  a  mer- 
•ciful  God  softened  the  stubborn  soil  in  my 
father's  heart.  The  seed  did  not  fall  alto 
gether,  as  Tom  Johnson  supposed,  upon 
stony  places.  Some  of  them  have  sprung 
up,  as  in  our  own  highly-favored  heritage, 
and  borne  fruit  a  hundred  fold.  Let  us 
thank  God,  then,  who  hath  enabled  us  abun 
dantly  to  gather  the  HARVEST  ;  for  peace  is 
once  more  at  our  fireside ;  the  wife  has  re 
gained  her  husband,  and  the  orphans  have 
found  their  father. 


